Cleaning device for rotary paint applicators



April l956 1 LINATSAS 2,741,857

CLEANING DEVICE FOR ROTARY PAINT ARPLICATORS Filed DEC. 16, 1952 IN VEN TOR.

BYJAMES LINATSAS ATToRNE Ys United States atent O CLEANING DEVICE FOR ROTARY APPLICATORS .lames Linatsas, Nashua, N. H.

Application December 16, 1952, Serial No. 326,315

11 Claims. (Cl. lim-58p) This. invention relates to a device for removing paint and paint solvent from the surface of paint rollers; by centrifugal force.

Rotary paint applicators are now much. in use. for applying a wide strip of paint to wall surfaces by means of roll coating. Such paint applicators include a.- cylindrical rol-l, covered with lambs wool, or the like, and mounted to` revolve freely on an axially extending. shaft. One` end of the roller is usually free while the shaft at the other end is bent at right angles, then bent back upon itself and then bent away from the centre of the roll' to form a handle. Instead of the long straight bristles of'a handpaint brush, the surface of such paint rollers is made up of fine short bres, each slightly curled and ntermingled with other fibres to form a. soft resilient surface.

lt has heretoforebeen customary to clean hand p aint brushes and paint rollers manually by immersing, the samein liquid paint solvent for a considerable timeand after. the paint is diluted and loosened, to then seek to remove. it. Various methods such as manually squeezing, slapping, kneading etc. have been proposed to' remove the paint from hand brushes and usually immersion in successive baths. of solvent over a considerable period of time have been required to properly eliminate all traces ofthe particular color of paint.

Various methods of automatically cleaning handpaint brushes' have also been proposed, for example, as disciosedin U. S. Patent No. 2,519,259, issued' August 1'5, 1950, to A. I. Liebman entitled, Brush Cle'aning'Apparatus wherein a' number of hand brushes are first attached to a' rack, the rack inserted' in' an enclosed tank containing liquid paint solvent and the rack' thenree volved at low speed to cause the brushes to slap against abutments and' pass through the solvent. A separate drying tank is disclosed in the Liebrnan patent wherein'the brushes which have been cleaned are revolved at` high speed to' dry the same centrifugally.

The principal object of thisl invention' is' to provide a device capable of removing paint and solvent'from' the painting surface of a paint roller by centrifugal force' and at high speed and without requiring theremoval of. any jacket from the roller of the' applicator.

Another object of the invention is` to providea device into which an ordinary paint roller can be directly inserted; and immediately revolved at high speed. on its applicator shaft without the need of any carryingracks, tank doors or similar structures usually accompanying an enclosed.. cleaning chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide: means for engaging and-revolving a freely revolving paint roller which meansv will accommodate a Wide rangeiin size. and dimensions of paint rollers and is easily arrangedtoienf' gage and disengage the same.

A- still further object of the invention is to' provide a cleaning device for paint rollers which is usable to. re-

volvef the roller at slow speed. through a` bath'v of paintl 70 solevnt' and. at high speed to centrifugally remove th'e paint and-solvent, without requiring separate shields for each operation.

ln. the drawing, Fig. l is a side elevation in section on line 1 1 of Fig. 2 of the preferred form of the invention.:l

Fig-.2..is.an.end elevation, in section, on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isA aplan view of the preferred form of the invention shown -in Figs. l and 2 with parts broken away.

Fig. 4vi`s. a side elevation, in section, of a modified form ofV the invention.

Fig.` 5F is an. enlarged fragmentary View of the motor shaft mounted means for revolving the paint roller of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 2 of another. position of the invention, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View, similar to Fig. 5, of anotherform of means. for revolving the paint roller.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in Figs. 1,2, 3` and 6 and includes an elongated tubular shield 2li,v of circular cross section, the opposite ends 21 and 22 of' the. shield being. open. plicator R is illustrated in dotted lines in the various figures, the' paint roller 269 having a curved surface covering or jacket 20.1, of lambs wool or the like, roller ends 202 and 293, a shaft 204 and a handle portion 205.

A short slot 23 is preferably provided in the. shield Z6 to" accommodate the handle portion 205 of applicator R tol hold'. i1;A in the positionshown in Fig. l. A longer slot 2'4`i'sfal'so preferably provided in the shield 20 to accommodate' the. portion 205 of applicator R and hold it' ih' the position' shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

A paint and solvent collection receptacle 50 is provided which extends horizontally below shield 20, the receptacle having a bottom 51 and side walls such. as Eiland-being positioned to catch drippings'frornthe open endsv 21 and 22 of shield 2li. A brace 60 is provided for supporting' shield'Zti above receptacle 50, the' brace being formed by a part 6l fixed to, and depending downward'lyV from sheld 2i) and a part 62 fixed to and upstanding-'from the bottom Si of receptacle 50. The parts61 and' 62l overlap and preferably are connected by a tightening wing bolt 63 slidable in slots 64 and 65 in the brace. Thustlie shield 2i)l may be tilted as shown in dotted'lines in Fig.' l to lower an end such as 22 to a lower plane than that of end 2l' for better drainage or the entire shield may be lowered as indicated in Fig. 6.

An' electric motor ill is mounted opposite one of the open ends such as 2l of shield 20 and is preferably supported ori-legs such as 71 and 72` fixed to the bottom' 51 of' receptacle 50.v Each leg such as 71 is formed in two overlapping sections 73 and 74, each 'having a longitudinal slot-75 or 76 for a Wing-bolt 77. The motor may thus be tilted, raised or lowered to align its motor shaft Sllwith the longitudinal axis of shield 20 as indicated 'in'zdotted'lines in Fig. l.

Mntorshaft is provided with a free terminal portion 81 by which it may be manually revolved to positionthe roller engaging means and a free terminal portion 82 at the opposite end which as shown extends within the shield 20. Wires 79 and 89 connect motor 70 with asource-of. electro motive force 90 andwith a rheostatl whereby theV motor may be rotated at low or. high speed or gradually accelerated during the cleaning'ofa paint roller such as 200.

The roller engaging and rotating means of the invention is'design'ated 100 and best shown in Fig. 5. As shown,

l a' cylindrical roll w1 is connected to the free terminal portion 32 of shaft Sii by a set screw 02 whereby the `rol1101 will revolve with shaft Si). Elongated elements,

suclr as' stiff'bristles, 105, protrude from the curved surface lrof folli-01 and whenv the applicator isV in theV position A typical rotary paint ap-A shown in Figs. 2 and 6 with surface covering 201 in rolling contact with bristles iti, the revolving bristles rotate the roller As shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 80 may be revolved at high Vspeed to also rotate roller 200at high Yspeed and remove the paint and solvent from surface 201 by centrifugal force, the paint and solvent being thrown against the inside of shield 29 and thence dropping into receptacle Si?. Y

lt should be noted that the roller engaging and rotating means of the invention, in all of the forms illustrated in the drawings includes at least one, and preferably two or more elongated elements, each having a free terminal end portion radially spaced from the axis of rotation of its carrier or support suerL as the roll 191. Such elements may be in the ,form of radial bristles on a cylindrical brush, resilient fingers or rigid iingers extending some what axially or a combination of both, so long .as they engage a roller at a spaced radial distance from the roller shaft and thereby impart rotation to the roller around its shaft.

If desired, shield 20 and motor 7i? may be lowered to the position shown in Fig. 6 and the receptacle 50 filled with paint solvent 1% so that the lower portion of roller 290 is immersed in the solvent. Rheostat 91 may then be adjusted to revolve motor 80 at low speed and thereby cause roll 10i to rotate roller 200 slowly through the solventwhile the paint on surface 201 is loosened and diluted.

Elongated elements, such as a pair of male elements 110 and 111, protrude from the free end surface of cylindrical roll 101 and are arranged to grip the roll 200 upon contact with the same by each entering an opening 206 and 207 in the end 2ti2 of the roll 200. The elements 110 and 111 are spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal centre line of roll 101 and extend axially from the end 109 thereof l but diverge from each other as indicated.

As shown in Fig. 4 the device may be vertical rather than horizontal. In Fig. 4 a shield 320 is positioned with its axis vertical and held above a horizontally positioned receptacle by a brace 360. The open end V321 of shield 320 is thus on a lower plane than the open end 322 and the entire shield 320 can be lowered by means of slot 365 and bolt 363 when roll 391 is to be used for rotating a paint roller. As mentioned above, the male elements 31@ and 311 of roller engaging means 300 are usable to clamp the surface of a paint roller or to enter female elements in the end of a paint roller. Motor 370 is adjustably mounted by legs 373i and 372 to the under surface of receptacle 350 and motor shaft 380 projectsl through a sleeve 392 upstanding from bottom 351 of receptacle 350 whereby its free terminal portion 382 is within shield 320. Slots 323 and 324 are also provided in shieldV 320 to accommodate and support the paint applicator R. Y

In operation, the paint applicator R may be inserted in slots such as 324 or 24 to bring the paint roller 201 in.

Y elements such as the openings 266 and 207 in theend 202 of roller 200, the male elements may be inserted therein with a wedging resilient engagement as shown in Fig. 1 to cause the roller 201 to revolve with motor shaft 80, at high speed.

As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, a section 500 of the shield, such as 20, may be slidable to permit easy access to the interior thereof if desired. Y

As shown in Fig. 7 the elongated elements of the device may also be in the form of one or more protruding teeth 310, 311 extending axially from the ends 309 of a roll such as 381 and arranged to mesh with corresponding teeth 206 and 307 in the end of a paint roller 300.

I claim:

1. A paint roller cleaner comprising the combination of an elongated tubular shield ofrcircular cross section,

said shield being substantially co-extensive with a paint` roller and having both opposite ends open; a paint and solvent collection receptacle extending horizontally below and separate from said shield; a brace upstanding from said receptacle and having pivot means at its upper endfor supporting said shield above said receptacle; an electric motor mounted opposite one of the open ends of said shield on means supported by said receptacle; a motor shaft aligned with the longitudinal axis 'of said shield, and having a free terminal' portion extending. Within Vsaid shield through an end opening thereof, and paint roller revolving means on the free terminal portion of said motor shaft for slidably engaging and revolving a paint roller when said roller on its roller shaft is positioned longitudinally within said shield.

2. A combination as specied in claim l wherein saidA paint roller revolving means comprises a cylindrical roll mounted to revolve with said shaft and having elongated elements protruding therefrom with free terminal ends adapted to grip said roller upon Contact therewith.

3. A combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said elongated elements comprise stiff bristles positioned radially on the curved surface of said cylindrical roll.

4. A combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said elongated elements comprise a pair of male elements each spaced on an opposite side of the longitudinal centre line of said roll and having free terminal ends adapted to enter corresponding female elements in said roller.

5. A combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said elongated elements of resilient material comprise a pair of male elements each spaced on an opposite side of the longitudinal centre line of said roll, each said element having free terminal ends forming spring jaws. v

6. A combination as specified in claim 2 wherein said shield is vertically positioned above said receptacle, said motor is positioned below said shield and receptacle and said motor shaft extends vertically up through said receptacle into an open end of said shield.

7. A cleaning device for the painting surface of a roller paint applicator, said cleaning device comprising an elongated, hollow, tubular shield substantially zzo-extensive with'a paint roller but Yof substantially greater cross sec- V.tional area than a paint rollerand having both opposite ends open; a paint and solvent collection receptacle, separate from, and extending generally horizontally below the plane of said shield; a brace for supporting said shield in a plane above the plane of the bottom of saidV receptacle;

aV power, shaft having a free terminal end aligned longi ltudinally with said shield proximate one open end thereof and extending to a source of power outside said shield and a cylindrical brushwithin said shield mounted on the free terminal end of said power shaft, said brush having stiff, radial bristles, adapted to frictionally engage the curved, exterior painting face of an applicator roller to revolve the roller by surface contact while frictionally dislodging paint thereon when said roller is introduced longitudinally into said shield through the other open end thereof while still on said applicator.

8. A cleaning device for the painting surface of a roller paint applicator, said device comprising an elongated shield of imperforate material, said shield being of greater length than the length of, and of substantially greater cross sectional area than th; cross sectional area of a paint roller; an elongated, cylindrical brush extending axially along the inside of said shield and mounted to rotate on an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of said shield, said brush being of less cross sectional area than that of said shield to provide a roller receiving space within said shield at least partially co-extensive with said brush; a roller receiving end opening in said shield for admitting the paint roller of an applicator entirely into said shield and into circumferential contact with said brush and means for revolving said brush at high speed for causing the bristles thereof to frictionally dislodge paint on the curved exterior face of a roller while said bristles revolve said roller by surface contact to dislodge paint by centrifugal force.

9. A cleaning device for the painting surface of a roller paint applicator, said device comprising an elongated hollow, tubular, substantially imperforate shield at least coextensive axially with a paint roller but of substantially greater cross sectional area than a paint roller, said shield having at least one open end; a rotatable cylindrical brush of less cross sectional area than said shield and having an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of said shield, said brush having radial, stiff bristles adapted to engage the exterior curved painting surface of an applicator roller inserted axially through the open end of said shield and to rotate said roller on its stationary roller shaft at the surface speed of the tips of said bristles and driving means outside said shield and operably connected with said brush for rotating the same at high speed to cause centrifugal force and friction to dislodge the paint on said roller.

10. A cleaning device as specified in claim 9 plus at least one longitudinally extending slot extending inwardly from an open end of said shield for receiving and guiding a handle portion of an applicator when the roller of the applicator is introduced longitudinally within said shell. l1. A cleaning device for the painting surface of a roller paint applicator, said device comprising an elongated, hollow, tubular shield of imperforate material of greater length and greater cross sectional area than a paint roller, said shield having an opening at each opposite end; an electric motor opposite, and outside one end of said shield; a shaft, rotatably connected to said motor and extending axially into said shield through one of said end openings; a cylindrical brush of substantially less cross sectional area than the cross sectional area of said shield, said brush extending axially of the shield and operably connected to said shaft to revolve on an axis of rotation parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shield and angularly adjustable supporting means for said motor and shield, said supporting means including braces for said motor and shield, each having adjustable means for regulating the height thereof whereby said motor, shaft and shield may be tilted at various angles to the horizontal.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,192 Haber Oct. 29, 1929 1,753,243 Liddle Apr. 8, 1930 1,770,201 Eaton July 8, 1930 1,789,657 McCarty Ian. 20, 1931 1,903,174 Ferguson Mar. 28, 1933 2,344,017 Ashpes Mar. 14, 1944 2,402,859 Webber June 25, 1946 2,403,348 Dinetz July 2, 1946 2,424,160 Greene July 15, 1947 2,542,205 Mort Feb. 20, 1951 2,542,491 Engel Feb. 20, 1951 

